Reversible seat base



Dec. 12, 1939. 2,183,021

REVERSIBLE SEAT BASE Filed Jan. 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 12, 1939 0. E. HILL 2',1s3,o2

REVERS IBLE SEAT BASE Filed Jan 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mounted to rotate around a vertical axis.

Patented Dec. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFEE REVERSIBLE SEAT BASE Oiva E. Hill, Gardner,

Mass, assignor to Hay- Application January 25, 1939, Serial No. 252,798

8 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to reversible seat-bases for use in railroad cars or other vehicles wherein it is desirable to place the seats as close as possible to the walls of the vehicle, so as to pro- 5- vide maximum aisle width. Many seats are of a type which must be reversed by swinging them around on a vertical axis. Since such seats are usually at least approximately rectangular in plan, provision must be made for the corners of the rectangle to clear the adjacent wall and the nearest other seats when a seat is reversed by rotation. This can be done by providing endwise shifting movement of the seat away from and back to the wall, in addition to the rotative movement by which the seat changes from one position of use to the other oppositely facing position. Such shifting movement away from the wall may precede the turning movement or accompany it, or both. In like manner, the shift ing movement back to the wall may follow the turning movement or accompany it, or both.

According to the present invention, improved structure is provided by which a desired combination of shifting and rotative movements is obtained in an advantageous manner by mechanism which is simple, strong and steady, and which operates easily and is not liable to jam or stick. A stationary pedestal is employed, on top of which an elongated plate is pivotally Slidable on the plate is a seat carriage which rotates with the plate and is guided in its sliding movement thereon by a pair of parallel guide rails mounted on the plate. The movements of athe carriage are controlled partly by these rails and par-tly'by a cam. follower which projects down therefrom through a slot in the plate to engage in a cam channel in the top of the pedestal. The ends of the carriage are notched to I engage a fixed locking lug on the pedestal when the seat is in one or the other of its reversed positions for use.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the description thereof which follows, and to the drawings of which Figure 1 is a plan view of a seat-base embodying the invention. I Figure 2 is aseotionon the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end View of the seat-base shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a plan View of the seat carriage shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the revolving plate shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the pedestal shown in Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary plan View of a modified form of pedestal, shown on a larger scale.

The seat base illustrated in the drawings consists essentially of three major members, a stationary base or pedestal Ill, a revolvable plate I l2 and a spider or seat carriage I l, these members being separately illustrated in Figures 6, 5 and a respectively. The pedestal Ill is preferably formed with a horizontal top or platform H5 in which is formed a cam channel I8. As shown in Figure 6, the channel 58 may be heart-shaped with two short alined portions extending from the two apices for purposes hereinafter described. If desired, a second cam channel 20 may also be provided in the top It for purposes hereinafter explained. The plate I2 is elongated, 20

as illustrated in Figure 5, and bears directly on the top I6. If desired, the plate may be provided with lateral extensions 2i to provide additional bearing surfaces which help'to steady the seat and which protect the channel I8 from dust and dirt. It is pivoted to the pedestal III by suitable means such as a pivot pin 22. As shown, this pivot pin passes through a suitable hole 24 in the top I6 and has an enlarged portion 26 forming a shoulder which bears on the top It of the 30 pedestal I 0. A nut 30 may be threaded on the lower end of the pin 22 to secure it in place. The plate I2 is provided with a central hole 32 within which the enlarged portion 26 of the pin 22 fits snugly. The upper end of the pin 22 is 35 threaded to receive a nut 34 which secures a suitable Washer 36 against the upper shoulder of the enlarged portion 26 of the pivot pin, the washer 36 overhanging a portion of the plate I2 to act as a hold-down member for the plate. There is, 40 however, sufficient clearance between the plate 42 and the pivot pin assembly to permit free rotation of the plate on the top of the pedestal.

The seat carriage I l sup-ports the seat frame by arms 38 and bears upon the upper face of the 45 plate I2 and is slidable endwise thereon in the direction of the long axis of the plate. The seat carriage fits between a pair of guide rails 40 which are parallel to the long axis of the plate and which may, as shown, extend along the long side edges of the plate. Each of the rails III] is provided with an inwardly projecting flange 42, these flanges acting as hold-down members for the seat carriage I4. The carriage it rotates W th the plate I2 about the pivot 22 and is also capable of longitudinal sliding movement on the plate I2. The movements of the carriage I4 are controlled by a cam follower 50 which rides in the cam slot I8. As shown in Figure 2, the cam follower 50 may be in the form of a plunger which is carried by the carriage I4 and which is vertically movable. The plunger is pressed downward by a spring 52 which is housed in a cylindrical boss 54 projecting upward from the carriage I4. The interior of this boss is threaded to receive an internal nut 55, the latter having an aperture through which the reduced stem 58 of the plunger 50 projects. The upper end of the spring 52 is seated in the hollow interior of the nut 56, the lower end bearing against a shoulder between the reduced stem 58 and the lower portion of the plunger. In order to maintain the seat carriage releasably in either of the two customary reverse positions which it may take when the seat is in use, the bottom of the cam channel It is provided with two shallow recesses 6G and 62. The lower end of the plunger 50 is rounded, as indicated in Figure 2, so as to fit into either one of these recesses and to be pressed therein by the spring 52. As shown in Figure 6, these recesses are located on the longitudinal median line of the pedestal. When the seat is revolved from one position of use to the other, the movement of the cam follower 50 along the cam channel I8 cau es the seat on the carriage I4 to move in a certain manner. If, for example, the rotation of the seat is begun when the cam follower 50 is resting in the recess 60, the initial movement of the seat must be endwise toward the right. This endwise movement is soon accompanied by rotation of the carriage and plate as the cam. follower enters the curved portion of the channel I8. The endwise movement of the seat toward the right continues until the cam follower reaches the point 64 in the cam channel. The plate and carriage then rotate together with little or no sliding movement of the carriage on the plate until the point 56 is reached, whereupon the carriage continues to slide upon the plate during the final portion of the rotation of the latter, the carriage eventually being pushed toward the left until the cam follower 50 enters the depression 62, releasably locking the seat in its reversed position for use. In the reversing movement thus described, only the lower half of the cam channel I8 shown in Figure 6 is employed. However, it is convenient to make the pedestal with the upper half of the cam in addition to the lower half, for use in cases Where it is desired to reverse the Seat by rotating in the opposite direction, that is, so that the seat faces the aisle in its reversing movement instead of facing the wall.

Means may be provided for limiting the range of rotary movement of the seat to 180. As shown, such means may be in the form of a semicircular cam channel such as the channel 20 illustrated in Figure 6. On this channel rides a cam follower 10 which may be in the form of a pin carried by the plate It and projecting downward therefrom into the channel 20. The portion of the cam I8 which will be followed by the cam follower 50 will be determined by the location of the cam follower I0. Thus, if the cam follower 10 is mounted near the front edge of the carriage I4, as in Figure 1, the seat will face toward the wall in its reversing movement, but, if the cam follower I0 is mounted near the rear edge of the carriage, the seat will face the aisle in its reversing movement. Evidently, omission of the cam follower 10 will permit reversing the seat in either direction.

At one end of the pedestal I0 is a hold-down member consisting of a short post "I2 having an overhanging portion 14 which engages the upper face of the projections I6 at each end of the plate I2. The upper portion 74 of the post is also adapted to fit snugly into either one of a pair of recesses 18 in the ends of the carriage I4. When the member I4 is thus received in a notch 18 as illustrated in Figure 1, the carriage is securely locked against any rotation. In order to release the carriage for rotation, it must first be pulled clear of the member I4. This initial sliding movement of the carriage away from the wall of the vehicle is made possible by the short, alined portions and 82 at the apices of the heartshaped cam channel I8. Thus the initial and final movements of the carriage are sliding movements on the plate I2 when the latter is not rotating. After the end of the carriage is thus moved clear of the member I4, the shape of the cam channel I8, as illustrated in Figure 6 is such that rotation of the plate and carriage results in further sliding movement of the carriage as hereinbefore explained.

Modified forms of the cam channel may be employed, such as that illustrated in Figure '7. Instead of the heart-shaped channel shown in Figure 6, a circular channel may be employed, this channel having a pair of alined straight portions 92 and 94 extending from opposite sides of the circular channel 90 toward the end of the pedestal which carries the hold-down member I2. The operation of the seat on the base illustrated in Figure 7 is substantially the same as that on the base illustrated in Figure 6 except that all of the initial endwise movement of the carriage I4 necessarily takes place before the rotative movement of the carriage and slide begins, and all of the final endwise movement of the carriage takes place after such rotative movement.

The cam follower 50, which is carried by the carriage I4, projects down through the plate I2 so as to ride in the cam channel I8. Hence the plate I2 is provided with a suitable slot 96 which extends in the same direction as the sliding movement of the carriage I4. If, as shown in Figure 2, the pivot member 22 projects above the level of the upper face of the plate I2, a suitable slot 98 is provided for it in the carriage I4 so that there will be no interference between the carriage and the pivot member when the carriage slides on the plate.

It is evident that various modifications and changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A reversible seat-base comprising a stationary pedestal having a horizontal top, an elongated plate bearing on said top and pivoted centrally to said pedestal for rotation thereon, said plate having a slot therein extending in the direction of its long axis, a seat carriage slidable on said plate in the direction of the long axis thereof and rotatable therewith, and means for guiding the movements of said carriage when said plate and carriage are rotated about said pivot. said means comprising a cam channel in the top of said pedestal and a cam follower mounted on said carriage to project through the slot in the plate and ride in said cam channel.

2. A reversible seat-base comprising a stationary pedestal having a horizontal top, an elongated plate bearing on said top and pivoted centrally to said pedestal for rotation thereon, said plate having a slot therein extending in the direction of its long axis, a seat carriage slidableon said plate in the direction of the long axis thereof and rotatable therewith, and means for guiding the movements of said carriage when said plate and carriage are rotated about said pivot, said means comprising a cam channel in the top of said pedestal, a cam follower projecting down from said carriage through the slot in the plate into the cam channel, and a spring pressing said follower downward to bear on the bottom of said channel, said channel having a pair of depressions adapted to receive the lower end of said cam follower when the seat carried by said base is in either of its reversed positions for use.

3. A reversible seat-base comprising a stationary pedestal having a horizontal top with a pivot thereon and two cam channels therein one of which is semicircular and concentric with respect to said pivot,an elongated plate bearing on said top and revolvable about said pivot, said plate having a slot therein extending in thedirection of its long axis, a seat carriage slidable on said plate in the direction of its long axis and revolvable therewith about said pivot, a cam follower projecting down from the lower face of said plate to ride in said semicircular cam channel, and a second cam follower projecting down from said carriage and through said slot to ride in the other said cam channel.

4. A reversible seat-base comprising a stationary pedestal having a horizontal top with a pivot thereon and two cam channels therein one of which is semicircular and concentric with respect to said pivot, an elongated plate bearing on said top and centrally connected thereto by said pivot for rotative movement, said plate having a slot extending along a portion of its long axis, parallel side rails along the long side edges of said plate, a seat carriage slidable between said side rails, a cam follower mounted on said plate and riding in said semicircular cam channel, and a second cam follower mounted on said carriage and projecting through said slot to ride in the other said cam channel.

5. A reversible seat-base comprising a stationary pedestal having a horizontal top, an elongated slotted plate pivotallymounted on said pedestal for rotation about a vertical axis, means limiting the range of rotation of said plate to 180 between two positions in either of which the seat carried by said base is in position for use, a seat carriage slidable on said plate in the direction of the long axis thereof and rotatable therewith,

' and means for guiding the movement of said carriage comprising a cam channel in the top of the pedestal, and a spring-pressed plunger carried by said carriage and projecting down through the slot in said plate to press on the bottom of said cam channel and engage the side walls thereof, said channel having a pair of depressions in its bottom to receive the end of gated plate pivotally mounted on said top to rotate about a vertical axis, a fixed locking lug mounted at one end of said pedestal, a seat carriage slidable on said'plate in the direction of the long axis thereof and rotatable therewith, said carriage having a notch at each end thereof adapted to receive said locking lug to hold said carriage and plate against rotation when the seat carried by said base is in either of its reversed positions for use, and means for guiding the movements of said carriage, said means comprising a cam channel in said pedestal top and a cam follower carried by said carriage and projecting down to engage in said channel, said channel having a pair of straight portions extending away from said locking lug and of sufficient length to permit the carriage to slide on the plate away from the lug to release said carriage and plate for rotative movement.

7. A reversible seat-base comprising a stationary pedestal having a horizontal top, an elongated plate plvotally mounted on said top to rotate thereon about a vertical axis between reversed positions of which the seat carried by the base is in position for use, said plate having a slot therein extending in the direction of its long axis, a hold-down member mounted at one end of said pedestal, said member havingan up per portion projecting over an end portion of,

gagement with said hold-down member and dur- 7 ing rotative movement of said plate, said guiding means comprising a cam channelin said pedestal top and a cam follower mounted on said carriage and projecting down through said slot in the plate to ride in said channel.

8. A reversible seat-base comprising a: stationary pedestal having a horizontal top, an elongated plate pivotally mounted on said top for rotation about a vertical axis, said plate having a slot therein, a seat carriage slidable on said plate in the direction of the long axis thereof and rotatable therewith, and means for guiding the movements of said carriage, said means comprising a heart-shaped cam channel in said top with the apices of the heart pointing toward an end of said pedestal, said channel having short alined extensions at said apices, and a cam follower carried by said carriage and projecting down through said slot to engage in said channel.

" OIVA E. HILL.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

I Patent No. 2,185,021. December 12, 1959.

. OIVA E. HILL.

It is hereby certified that the name of the assignee in the above num-' bered patent was erroneously written and printed as -"Haywood-Wakefield Company" whereas said name should have been written and printed as Heywoodwakefield Company, of Gardner, Massachusetts, a corporation of Massachusetts, as shown by the record of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of January, A. D. l9h0.

Henryvan Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

